Church leaders used their social media channels this week to share family games, offer messages to young adults and teach about following unusual promptings.
Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Sister Ruth L. Renlund, decided last year to focus more on their physical health. Recently when they were hiking in southern Utah, he realized that “the hike was much easier than the last time we were there — there was less of me to haul around, and it was exhilarating to feel stronger and healthier.”
“Getting rid of unhealthy debris — physical, mental, or emotional — in our lives is a powerful way to grow closer to our Savior,” he wrote in a social media post April 9.
After each general conference, Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his family play a game together to help them remember some of the messages. In an April 10 social media post, he shared a link to download the game, along with instructions on how to play.
The Rev. Andrew Teal, chaplain and fellow in theology at Oxford University’s Pembroke College, and Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles recently held a virtual discussion about gathering light and truth from all nations.
“We should never pass on an opportunity to learn from another’s testimony of God and religious truth,” Elder Holland wrote in a social media post April 16, and also shared a video of their discussion in the post.
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote a Tweet in honor of Ramadan, a month-long period of fasting and reflection observed by Muslims worldwide.
As Sister Michelle D. Craig, first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, observed her grandchildren playing with K’Nex building kits, it led her to contemplate how she connects with Deity. In a social media post, she recounted how she has come to realize that her connection with God is strongest when she consistently and intentionally takes time for “the little things done every day.”
“There is great spiritual power in consistently doing the small and simple things that allow our hearts and spirits to feel connected to heaven,” she wrote.
In the latest video in the #HearHim series, President Dallin H. Oaks, first counselor in the First Presidency, said to always act on a prompting, “however unusual it seems or however inadequate you feel in following it.”
“You may not know the reason, but blessings will follow to you and to someone else if you hear Him,” he said.
When President M. Russell Ballard, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was a young missionary in England, he had an unique experience that taught him that “the Holy Ghost is in fact the Comforter and that by and through God’s power, He brings to our mind the words of the Lord.”
In an April 14 social media post, he invited young adults to “stay anchored in your study of the scriptures, and say your prayers every day. Start your day with a prayer, end your day with a prayer, and talk to the Lord as necessary throughout the day.”
In a message specifically for his new Spanish-speaking social media followers, Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the power of prayer.
During the 134th commencement exercises of Ensign College, Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles offered six principles to setting a foundation for happiness in life. Sharing the principles in an April 15 social media post, Elder Cook promised that recent graduates “will be inspired to make wise and righteous decisions if (they) strive to live a life based on virtue and keeping the commandments of God.”
